Automobile signaling device.



A. W. JOHNSON.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, ISIE.

m mam -A. W. JOHNSON.

1 AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING DEVICE.

" un; an. a, me.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

To all whom it may concern:

AXEL JOHNSON, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

Application filed February 8', 1916. Serial no. 76,978.

Be it known that I, AXEL WJJOHNSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State of Oregon,have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile Signal at thesame time illuminating the signal so provide operating means of such acharac-- ,"ing Devices, of which the following is a specification. Thisinvention relates to automobile signaling devices, the broad object ofthe in vention being to provide a signaling device embodyingin-connection with a supporting member, a reflector and a. signalingface or member having a fixed relation to the re fiector, combined withmeans for shifting the signal to a visible or signaling position,

that the information imparted thereby is readily discernible to personsin the vicinity of the vehicle upon which the signaling device ismounted. a

.A further object of the invention is to ter that the signal will beilluminated only when moved to its operative position, the illuminationbeing cut ofi by the return movement of the signal to its inoperativeosition. p With the above and other objects in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement ofparts, as herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-: Figure 1 is a rear elevation showing thesignaling device applied to an automobile windshield, with the circuitcloser shut.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the signaling device partly in section showingthecirc'uit closer shut.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section through the rock shaft looking towardthe circuit tion showing the catch for holding the sig-" nal in avisible position."

Fig. 7 is an end elevation partly 1n section showing modified operating-.nd circuit closing means with the circuit closer open.

Fig. 8 is a rear elevation of the same binding current partly. insection shown applied together with the operating lever and connections.

In carrying out the present invention, and 1n the preferred embodimentthereof, I employ a supporting. member designated generally at A, themain body thereof indicated at 1 being provided with one or morebearings 2 in which isjournaled one end of rock shaft 3. This rock shafthas fast there on a combined operating arm and circuit closing arm 4'shown in one embodiment of the invention as provided with a handle 5,the arm 4 embodylng a hub or collar 6 which is fixed in relation to theshaft 3 by means of a set screw 7 the latter enabling the arm to beadjusted around the shaft for the purpose of adjusting the angle of thereflector or mirror hereinafter described.

The shaft 3 is preferably of tubular and sectional telescopicconstruction the outer section 8'thereof being of sufliciently smallerdiameter to enable it toslide within the main section 4 and the twosections beingheld in fixed relation to each other by the clamp ingmeans shown at 9. Fast on the outer' economy in manufacture, the arm 11is fastened at its base directly to the back of the reflector 10, thelatter acting as'a shieldto conceal the arm 11 when the reflector is-inuse. Said arm is of hollow formation and made progressively increasingin cross sectionalarea from its free end toward the reflector where itis of sufiicient internal dimensions to contain an electric lamp 12 thewires to which lead through the tubular shaft 3. One of these wires 13connects with a binding post 14 on the arm 4.. The other wire 15'isconnected to a bindin post 16 on an extension 17 of the supportingmember A. On the same extension 17 is another binding post 17 having. aprojecting spring contact 18 with which the arm 4 is adapted to contactwhen moved downwardly thereby closing the circuit in which theelectriclamp' 12 is included. Wires from a battery or other source of electricalenergy (not shown) are intended to be connected to the osts 16 and 18 soas to furnish the or the lamp 12. The arm 4 is held normally raised bymeans of a spring 19 one terminal of which is coiled around and fastenedto a reduced end 20 of the shaft 3 while the other terminal of thespring is connected to the arm 3 by means of a lug 21 on said arm.

On the extension 17 of the supporting member there is a beveled lip 22formed in its beveled face with a depression or socket 523 which isadapted to be engaged by a spring pressed catch 24 shown in the form ofa plunger mounted for longitudinal movement in a tubular guide 25carried by the arm 4 and containing the spring 26 by which the plungercatch 24 is pressed yieldingly into engagement with the socket 23 whenthe arm is moved to its lower limit. This has the effect of lockin thecircuit closer shut and holding the re ector 10 fac ing downwardly withthe signal arm 11 extending upwardly so as to display the front and rearfaces thereof both of which are equipped with panels 27 of glass or likematerial having words or symbols of caution represented thereon asindicated in the drawings. When the arm 4 is pushed upwardly, the catch24 is disengaged from the socket 23 and the reflector is returned to itsuseful position while the signal arm is moved to a substantiallyhorizontal position where it will not be visible as a signal.Simultaneously the circuit closer is opened thereby cutting out the lamp12. The spring 19 serves to sustain the parts in the position lastreferred to. By reason of the factthat the shaft 3 is of sectional andtelescopic construction, it may be extended or contracted in length andby means of the clamping means 9, the angle of the reflector may beadjusted to suit the operator of the machine in order to enable him toobserve vehicles and pedestrians approaching from the rear. 4

The main body 1 of the supporting memher A is extended to form aclamping jaw 28 with a 'concaved face 29 to engage one side of the frameof a windshield. An adjustable jaw 30 is supported by lugs '31 onthe'jiiw-29 and is secured to one of said lugs by means of-a clampingscrew 32 or its equivalent, the adjustable jaw being also I providedwith a concaved face 33 to engage the opposite side of the frame of thewindshield. This enables the supporting memher A to be firmly clamped onthe wind shield frame to support the remainder of the device abovedescribed. One of the lugs 31 has a spacing screw 34 threaded therein,theI=-.head of which is received in a socket 35 in the inner end of theadjustable jaw 30 thereby enabling the angle of the adjustable jaw to beadjusted to suit windshield frames of difi'ercntsizes and to prevent thejaws from coming in contact with the windshield glass and fracturing thesame.

s the operator of an automobile i preaches the point where he intends toslow down or stop or turn, he moves the arm 4 downwardly so as todispose the signal in a substantially vertical position. Simultancouslytherewith the arm 4 closes the circuit and energizes the electric lamp12. After a turn is made orthc car is again proceeding at the desiredspeed or in accordance with the trul'lic regulations, the arm 4 is movedin the opposite direction by the operator thereby opening the circuitcloser, Ciel-Energizing the lump 12 and restoring. the

mirror or reflector 10 to its useful position.

In some cases it may be desirable to operate the signaling device fromthe steering column of an automobile in which case an operating lever 36is employed, the same being pivotally mounted at 37'011 a supportprovided. with a clamping band 39 and clamping screw 40 enabling saidband to be tightly secured around the steering. column 41 as shown. Aflexible operating element 42 such as a wire is fastened at one end tothe lever 36 by means of a set screw 43 and is fastened at its oppositeend to the arm 3. The flexible operating element 42 passes through aflexible guide 44 shown as consisting of'coiled wire, one end of whichis fastened within an eye 45 on the extension 17 above referred to bymeansof a set screw 46 and the other end of which is fastened in an eye47 on the support 38 by means ofa set screw 48.v In one case the driveroperates the signal by means of the handle 5 on the arm 4 and in theother case he operates the signal by means of the lever 36 on thesteering column. Otherwise the operation is identical. However, underthe arrangement shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the inner end of the tubular andthe wires leading v 12 are inserted through the end of the shaft.

In such case the spring 19 will have one end.

connected to the arm 40 as shown at 49, said spring being coiled aroundthe larger section of the telescopic shaft and having shaft 3 is leftopen to the electric lamp its other end in engagement with thesupporting member A as shown at 50. Under either construction, the 1 arm4 is provided with a shoulder 51 which strikes against the supportingmember A to limit the upward movement of said arm for the purpose ofholding the mirror or reflector at'the proper angle on the returnmovement thereof to its.

useful position. Having thus described my invention, I claim 1- In atraffic signal for automobilesdthe combination of a supporting member,means for securing said supporting member to a. windshield, asubstantially horizontal rock shaft journaled on said supporting member,a signal arm fixedly related to said rock shaft and extending at a rightangle thereto, a. signal arm shield fixedly attached to said arm and adated to support a reflector, and a manna 1y controlled arm on said rockshaft for turning the latter, said signal arm and shield being sorelated to the rock shaft that when the signal is in its non-usefulposition it is concealed by said shiold.

D. W. PINX'mLL, C. A. SHEPPARD.

